Franchise Success in Omaha

If your house is messy, your stomach is rumbling or your grandpa is rattling around alone in his house, don't blame Omaha.

"Omaha has been a wonderful, wonderful city for franchising," said Tom Guy of the Ellis & Guy advertising firm, who was a part of the early franchise business in Omaha.The city has done its part to keep the nation well-fed, happy and clean through a type of venture that can spread rapidly worldwide and generate billions of dollars in sales.What is it?It's franchising, and over the past 35 years the city's entrepreneurs have spawned at least a half-dozen operations that have gone nationwide and, in some cases, worldwide.Every day, employees of Omaha-originated franchises clean thousands of homes, inspect thousands of properties, serve thousands of pizzas and sandwiches and perform chores for thousands of senior citizens, from Europe to Asia and all across the United States.
Franchise businesses with Omaha ties
Little KingFounded: 1968 Initial investment: $30,000- $80,000 Total investment: $140,000- $240,000 Royalty: 6%Outlets: 8 franchisees, 15 storesNational Property InspectionsFounded: 1987 Initial investment: $21,800 Total investment: $28,500- $31,000 Royalty: 8% Outlets: 262 in the U.S. and CanadaHome Instead Senior CareFounded: 1994 Initial investment: $32,500 Total investment: $44,000- $57,600 Royalty: 5% Outlets: 800 centers in 12 countriesGodfather's PizzaFounded: 1973 Initial investment: $0-$20,000 based on a number of factors Total investment: between $10,000-$550,000 Royalty: varies, based on a number of factors Outlets: about 620 in more than 40 statesRight at HomeFounded: 1995 Initial investment: $32,500 Total investment: $50,000- $80,000 Royalty: 5% Outlets: 155Merry MaidsFounded: 1979 Initial investment: $19,000- $27,000 Total investment: $23,350- $34,450 Royalty: 5-7% Outlets: 1,421The MaidsFounded: 1979 Initial investment: $10,000 Total investment: $74,000- $221,000 Royalty: 3.9-6.9% Outlets: More than 1,000 marketsSource: The Franchise Mall Those involved in franchising say Omaha's success is built, in part, on:• A service-oriented Midwestern mind-set.• A willingness to share the secrets of building a successful franchise.• The ability of key individuals to turn good ideas into businesses that can be replicated almost anywhere."Omaha has been a wonderful, wonderful city for franchising," said Tom Guy, who tied his marketing expertise into several successful franchises.Consider this history:Willy Theisen knocked a hole in the wall between his bar and an adjacent pizza restaurant and began selling pizzas to his customers. Convinced that the thick-crust pizza could compete with Pizza Hut's thin-crust version, he launched Godfather's in 1973. He sold the company in 1983 for $306 million.Dallen Peterson realized in the late 1970s that women joining the work force wouldn't want to come home and clean house. He started Merry Maids, selling it in 1988 for $25 million.Peterson protégé Paul Hogan and his wife, Lori, saw that elderly parents of busy and often far-flung children could thrive in their own homes with a little help from a caretaker. The Hogans started Home Instead, which is expected to generate $650 million in revenue this year on three continents."Dallen helped me rifle in on the senior market," Paul Hogan said.There's also Right at Home, a senior care company that includes in-home medical services; The Maids, another home-cleaning company; and Little King sandwich restaurants.A different kind of service franchise caters to businesses instead of individuals. National Property Inspections Inc. provides information on such details as home condition, energy consumption and safety features.Colin Bishop, executive vice president of The Maids, said developing a true, successful partnership with the franchisee is key. That sort of cooperation seems commonplace in the Midwest, he said.In 30 years, Bishop said, The Maids has had only two lawsuits, an outstanding track record considering the decades of business dealings with franchise holders.Merry Maids founder Peterson said Godfather's success inspired him, and he knew Tom Guy and Rick Ellis from working at Fairmont Foods' snack division. Their advertising firm, Ellis & Guy, handled Godfather's marketing campaign, which featured actor J. William "Bill" Koll as a tough-talking gangster who virtually ordered people to buy pizza.Peterson figured that if he could operate a successful home-cleaning service in Omaha, it would be the sort of business that could be franchised: Capital costs were low; most people could understand the necessary training; and the demand was nationwide.Guy helped develop the name - No. 12 on a list of 35 proposed names.Peterson said just being from Omaha was an advantage."The transportation in and out was good, and the work ethic of the people in Omaha was wonderful," Peterson said. "We were able to get talented people on our staff."
Franchises work best for a business:
• With a good track record of profitability• Built around a unique or unusual concept• With broad geographic appeal• That is relatively easy and inexpensive to operate• That is easily duplicated Once you have the right concept, he said, franchising is built on relationships, which in turn depend on choosing the right franchise holder.During the selection process, finalists came to Omaha to learn more about the company."Everyone who came to Omaha would come with a kind of skepticism," Peterson said. "But by the time they spent a week in Omaha, they always were so impressed. There's something about Omaha, the people, the culture, the work ethic, the integrity - all those things were factors."Success built upon success.Peterson and others who started franchise operations gave money to launch the International Center for Franchise Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which attracted business students with franchising in mind.Franchises work, say Peterson and others, because they give franchisees a successful formula for doing business, letting them tap into an established brand backed up by training, advertising, equipment and other proven features.And franchises reward people who want to be their own bosses. The drawback, in comparison to starting an independent business, is that the franchisee must pay start-up fees and royalties to the owner of the corporation.An estimated 5,000 franchise companies operate in the United States, making $600 billion in annual sales. They created 1.2 million new jobs between 2001 and 2005, according to national franchise groups.Roland Bates was a contractor who saw a need for qualified inspections of residential and commercial properties. He started National Property Inspections in 1987."This is the kind of place that people still feel you can do business on a handshake and people keep their word," Bates said.Bates eventually met Allan Hager, a hospital administrator who had his own idea for a franchise: a senior care service that would provide in-home medical care as well as light housekeeping, errand and other services."He wanted to know more about what was involved in franchising," Bates said. "He picked my brain. We visited for months."The relationship has continued, Hager said."He was very generous in showing me the nuts and bolts," Hager said of Bates.For example, Hager learned that before offering a concept to franchisees, he needed to assemble and have in place all pieces of a franchise. Those include information technology, marketing, employee recruiting, legal details, pricing and screening of franchise applicants."I think the business climate here is terrific," he said. There's a trust factor in the Midwest. That's just the way people are here." • Contact the writer: 444-1080, steve.jordon@owh.com

Jamba Juice

New "Orange Refresher" Saves Consumers Coins and Calories EMERYVILLE, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Jamba, the leading blender of fruit and other naturally healthy ingredients, has launched a $2.95 All Fruit Smoothie, for a limited time, in all Jamba Juice stores. Jamba is taking steps to educate the consumer of the benefits of Jamba smoothies, which not only taste great, but are good for you. As the leader in the smoothie category, Jamba believes its product offerings, store atmosphere, and overall customer experience offers a competitive advantage over those whose primary business is serving coffee or hamburgers."Our product is 210 calories, offers more real fruit, 100% natural ingredients, contains no high-fructose corn syrup, and has no added sugar. We do all that while never sacrificing Jamba's great taste," said Paul Coletta, Jamba's senior vice president of brand development. "At $2.95, the Orange Refresher is a great value."Consumers will be invited to buy this or any smoothie and receive a second smoothie for free, with a valid on-line coupon, which will be distributed electronically and also available at www.jamba.com. The coupon will be valid from July 17, 2008 through July 30, 2008. Jamba will also offer a summer loyalty card to all customers to reward more frequent visits, from July 24, 2008 through September 21, 2008.
About Jamba, Inc.
Jamba, Inc. (NASDAQ:JMBA); (NASDAQ:JMBAU); (NASDAQ:JMBAW) is a holding company and through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Jamba Juice Company, owns and franchises JAMBA JUICE(R) stores. JAMBA JUICE is the leading blender of fruit and other naturally healthy ingredients. Founded in 1990, Jamba strives to inspire and simplify healthy living for its customers and employees. As of April 22, 2008, JAMBA JUICE had 726 stores, of which 515 were company-owned and operated. For the nearest location or a complete menu including our new breakfast smoothies with organic granola, please call: 1-866-4R-FRUIT or visit the JAMBA JUICE website at www.jamba.com. Look for Jamba's ready-to-drink Jamba(R) bottled Smoothies and Juicies on grocery store shelves.SOURCE: Jamba, Inc.

The Franchise Way to Play the Population Trend

Three years ago, Curt M. Maier retired before he turned 50 from his job as a general manager with Air Products and Chemicals, and began looking for entrepreneurial opportunities.
“I wanted to find a business I could follow the processes and procedures and be pretty much assured of realizing a profit,” said Mr. Maier of Allentown, Pa. “I wanted to find something that would generate the kind of compensation that would support my lifestyle.”
After reviewing franchise opportunities from janitorial services to upscale child care centers, he ultimately decided on opening a SarahCare adult day center, which serves the elderly and those with a disability. The model was created by Dr. Merle D. Griff, a gerontologist, who opened the first SarahCare center in Canton, Ohio, in 1985. He began franchising in 2004.
With the leading edge of the baby boomers creeping toward 65, adult day care businesses — as well as many others geared toward serving the aging population — are increasingly cited as a good place for entrepreneurs to look for opportunities.
“The market opportunities are bigger than Barbie,” said Mary Furlong, a entrepreneurship professor at Santa Clara University and author of “Turning Silver Into Gold: How to Profit in the Boomer Marketplace” (Financial Times Press, 2007).
And although most adult day care centers are still operated as part of a larger organization like a skilled nursing home or medical center, they are gaining in popularity with entrepreneurs, as well as companies that are developing chains.
A look at the numbers helps to explain why. Although there are more than 3,500 adult day centers providing care for 150,000 people, the National Adult Day Services Association estimates that more than 5,400 are needed.
With the portion of the population 65 and over expected to grow to 20 percent by 2030 from 12.4 percent, demand is projected to skyrocket.
“The numbers are in our favor,” Dr. Griff said. “The number of elderly is only going to continue to explode, and with federal and state governments really trying to keep as many people in their home as possible, this is an area full of opportunity.”
Two SarahCare centers are run by the corporation, with 18 franchise operations open and another 30 sold and in the development process. Of those, 17 are expected to open in 2007.
In the last four years, she said, the corporation has doubled its income.
But if opportunity seems boundless, there are some realities to consider, according to those who have studied the market.
“As far as the entrepreneurial side, what I see happening a lot is that many individuals see a need in their community and they want to open an adult day center and they want to be for-profit,” said Nancy J. Cox, who led the study that examined the number of adult day service programs, a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “In about a year, they convert to nonprofit. They’ve not been able to make a go of it financially.”
By becoming nonprofit, she said, they get access to grants and donations and contributions.
That is a lesson learned early on by Rena McNeil, a registered nurse who opened a commercial adult day center in Cahokia, Ill., in 2004. Although she is still commercial, she joined with a nonprofit community center in East St. Louis last year to open a center after finding it difficult on her own.
She said the new arrangement allowed her to receive state funding not available before as well as tax breaks on supplies.
“I did not go into this to get rich,” she said, “but I do need to pay the staff and make a living.”
She estimates she needs to have 45 to 50 clients to generate enough revenue to make the business worthwhile. She currently has about 24.
Ms. Cox, national director of Partners in Caregiving, which works to promote adult day services throughout the country, said that starting out too small is a mistake made by many adult day centers.
“I think it can be a viable business as long as you know what you’re doing,” she said.
She noted that there are two types of adult day centers, social and medical. The medical have a therapeutic aspect that makes them eligible for some government funding, typically Medicaid.
The Active Day Corporation, which owns a chain of adult day centers, is banking on government money and strength in numbers by bringing together adult day centers from Florida to Massachusetts.
“The margins are relatively small and difficult for individual centers,” said Kris Baldock, president and chief executive of Active Day, based in Owings Mills, Md., outside Baltimore.
In the last 18 months, Active Day, has grown to 59 from 39 centers, and revenue has increased to about $50 million from $21 million, he said.
The company operates only centers with medical components, which makes them eligible for Medicaid funding. And the company operates in states that have better reimbursement programs than others.
Dr. Griff said what she hoped to do with SarahCare was provide entrepreneurs with a framework to open and operate high-quality, accredited adult day programs.

“We hear the same thing over and over again,” she said. “People say, ‘I’ve been very successful; I’ve made a lot of money; or I’ve gotten a golden parachute, now I want to own a business where it’s successful and profitable, but feel I’m having an impact on my community.’ ”
Mr. Maier said he initially worked with a franchise broker to examine opportunities and even considered becoming a franchisee of Comfort Keepers, a company offering in-home care throughout the United States and in Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
But, he said, there were many more franchises already operating in the in-home service arena.
“I wanted to be part of something new,” he said.
He said he had invested about $345,000, and although he did not expect to see a profit for a couple of years, he said that he anticipated operating returns of about 25 percent eventually. He has committed to developing several more SarahCare centers in the Allentown area.
At the center, clients receive a light breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Amenities include a library, arts-and-crafts area, beauty salon and barber shop, bathing area and therapeutic spa. Regular activities and special programs are organized for participants, who pay $60 a day to attend, not including transportation. They offer extended hours.
“We run about 10 to 15 percent over the nonprofit centers,” he said, “but I really think people want a nicer place.”
Ms. Cox said entrepreneurs considering going into the adult day care business should begin by asking a lot of questions. How many people do you want to serve? What will the hours of operation be? What services will you provide? How big is the market for those services?
She said marketing can present problems for adult day care providers because traditional avenues like television, radio and newspaper do not seem effective. In addition, she said, there is often a stigma attached to adult day care.
“There’s a connection to child care and some seniors say, ‘I’m not going; I’m not a child,’ ” Ms. Cox said.
In addition, she said, caregivers for the participant, often an adult child, frequently feel guilty about using such a service.
“You really have to have compassion and concern,” Ms. McNeil said. “The object is taking care of seniors and making sure they’re stabilized in their golden years. You can’t look at it as a get-rich-quick business.”

For more information on a multitude of franchises and senior care franchises, visit www.francorpconnect.com and www.francorp.com.

Selling a Business in This Economy

Small Businesses on Discount By ELIZABETH OLSON
Published: May 27, 2008

To all the usual reasons that small businesses are put up for sale — personal problems and personnel squabbles among them — add economic woes this year. But even as for-sale listings rise around the country, so is buyer interest.Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Julie Keefe for The New York TimesRichard Lightowler sold the nursery business attached to his general store in West Linn., Ore., for a lower price than he thinks he would have received in previous years. “When economic times get tough and people can’t find a job, they will go out and buy a job,” said Ronald W. Hottes, president of the Business Team, a broker in Torrance, Calif.The problem, though, for owners seeking to sell their businesses is that prices appear to be softening — a reflection of a variety of causes, among them tighter credit markets, rising costs and fewer customers.The country’s largest listing site, bizbuysell.com, has 50,000 businesses for sale — up from 43,000 this time last year, said Michael K. Handelsman, the site’s general manager. The number of businesses being sold also rose, to 1,795 listings that closed in the first quarter of this year, a 66 percent increase from 1,081 sales in the same quarter of 2007.In Gaithersburg, Md., mill3nnium.com reported that businesses for sale on its site had surged in the last year.

The site focuses on the metropolitan Washington area, and one reason for the surge was a decline in customers. Those businesses included delis, dry cleaners, dollar stores and gas stations. “We have 80 to 100 listings, double the number we had last year,” said the site’s owner, Moses A. Zuniga. “Every business is hurting.”Such sites can give only a snapshot of the market, Mr. Handelsman acknowledged, because “when a listing is removed, we always check to see if it sold, but the broker doesn’t always tell us.”Several brokers say that buyers typically are people who are retiring and looking for a second act or laid-off corporate executives looking for a business to run.Retirement, illness, divorce, death — and simple burnout — still drive the majority of owners to sell, but in the rocky economy, some otherwise solid businesses are now having a hard time. Their owners decide they cannot hold out for better times, so they sell for less, business brokers say. A decline in revenue was one reason that Richard Lightowler decided to sell the family’s retail nursery in West Linn., Ore., in January. When he took over the Willamette General Store from his parents in early 2007, he said, he evaluated the business. He said he found it difficult to manage the adjacent nursery, which specializes in ponds and pond supplies, as well as the store’s growing business in expensive Traeger barbecue grills.So he decided to sell the decade-old nursery, which had been bringing in $150,000 annually several years ago. Business had slipped even though nurseries generate higher margins than the hardware, barbecue supplies and food that are the core items at the blue-and-white clapboard general store, he said.“A few years ago — based on how it was doing then — I could have gotten $50,000 for the nursery,” said Mr. Lightowler, 40. “But I had to ask less, about $40,000, and accept $33,000.”Phillip L. Beukema, of Luxemburg, Wis., who recently sold his online business, Corporate Apparel Unlimited, may have been luckier in his timing. Over the last eight years, he and his family built the company, which sells promotional items like T-shirts on 13 Web sites, with some 25,000 clients, and recorded $2.8 million in sales in 2006.Then he and his wife, Charla, both 55 years old, decided last August that they wanted to retire. So last fall he listed the company with a business broker, Cornerstone Business Services, in nearby Green Bay, and the transaction — he did not disclose the sales price — closed on Feb. 15. The price, said Mr. Beukema, a former college dean, would probably have been less if he had tried to sell this year.“As the subprime situation hit last year, we noticed about a 10 percent slide in orders,” he said. “So if we had put it on the market in January, the asking price would have been in jeopardy. I don’t think we could have gotten the same figure for it.”

Pinpointing what is happening to sales prices nationwide is difficult because data is diffuse and unreliable. It is possible to advertise nationally on a Web site, but the buying and selling of most small businesses remains local. And most transfers of small businesses are between individuals, who are not required to register such transactions.Skip to next paragraph But both listing sites and brokers around the country say that sellers have become more flexible about price. In a survey by the International Business Brokers Association of its 2,000 members, nearly 73 percent predicted that 2008 would be a buyer’s market. The survey was released in January. Cress S. Diglio Sr., the association’s chairman and president of Corporate Investment International, which is based in Orlando, Fla., said that “this year the number of sellers will easily outpace the number of qualified buyers.”One reason is that a crucial small business financing tool, home equity lines of credit, has been drying up as house values fall. Traditionally, small businesses have had a hard time obtaining commercial credit, and that is worsened in rough economic times, several brokers said.“A year ago, people were using home equity loans,” Mr. Hottes said. “And now they are drawing down their 401(k)s.”Sellers — who historically have provided financing to sell their small businesses — are doing so more than ever, said Julie Gordon White, chief executive officer of BlueKey Business Brokerage in Point Richmond, Calif. Even so, an unpleasant truth is that many, if not most, businesses do not sell. For decades, the conventional wisdom was that brokers sold about one out of five businesses they listed. But a new study by Louis O. Vescio, owner of Sunbelt Business Brokers in Melbourne, Fla., found that the percentage was only 10.5 percent.The main reason, Mr. Vescio and others said, was that “most small business owners keep bad records,” so buyers cannot get an accurate financial picture. Confidentiality can also hamper sales, brokers said.“It’s not like a house where you want everyone to know it’s for sale,” said Mr. Diglio, who has been in the business for two decades. “You don’t want employees, customers or competitors to know you are selling.”

Starbucks in China

Daily Specials
Starbucks increases its presence in Southern ChinaSEATTLE (June 13) - Starbucks Coffee Co., based here, expanded its Southern China operations by increasing its ownership of Coffee Concepts Ltd. to 51 percent from 46 percent. The other 49 percent of Coffee Concepts, a licensee of Starbucks stores in China's Guandong province, belongs to Mei-Xin International Ltd., a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Maxim's Caterers Limited.
As part of the deal, Mei-Xin will partner with Starbucks to open an undetermined number of Starbucks outlets in Chengdu, China, later this year.
"The decision to expand our relationship with Maxim's is a sign of our confidence and continued commitment to building a great business throughout China," Christine Day, president, Asia Pacific Group, Starbucks Coffee International, said in a statement.
Starbucks operates and franchises more than 9,000 units worldwide.

Francorp Client - Al's Beef

From its humble beginning back in 1938, brother Al Ferreri and his sister and brother-in-law, Frances and Chris Pacelli, Sr. began developing what is known today as one of the "Top 10 Sandwiches in America," a "Chicago Food Legend" and "Chicago's #1 Italian Beef Sandwich," an honor bestowed upon it by Chicago magazine.
The original idea for the Italian beef sandwich was formed out of necessity, as many great ideas are. In the great depression era, meat was scarce. Chris and Al would go to family weddings and in order to make the meat go around, the family sliced it thinly and made sandwiches.
Chris and Al sat down in Al’s home kitchen and formulated their now legendary recipe. They would make their thinly sliced Italian beef sandwiches and deliver them to the local hospitals and businesses in the area. Soon, demand required that they take the next step and build a little beef stand that the local neighbors could visit.
The first official Al's Beef stand began as a small, curbside, outdoor, wooden neighborhood food stand with countertop service located on Laflin and Harrison Street, in Chicago’s “Little Italy” neighborhood. This is where the Italian beef simmered and the newly added Italian sausage grilled over flaming charcoal.
Chris Sr., who was Al's brother-in-law, maintained an outside job during the war, while Al's sister Frances managed to work at the beef stand and raise three sons, Terry, Chuck and Chris, Jr. When the pressures and demands of growing a business became overwhelming, Chris Sr. was forced to devote all of his energies to the beef stand on a full-time basis. It was then that the legend truly began.
The beef stand gradually grew and moved to its present location at 1079 W. Taylor Street, still in Chicago’s "Little Italy." It was here that they added Chicago hot dogs, fresh, homemade, hand-cut French fries, and Polish sausage to the menu.
Chris and Al ran the business from 1938 into the 1970’s when Chris Sr.’s sons Terry, Chris Jr. and Chuck took over the helm. The three brothers ran the day to day operation at the Taylor Street location and began receiving incredible media praise for their restaurant specialty, the Al’s Italian beef sandwich and their homemade, hand-cut French fries. It was after one such media article in Chicago magazine that the brothers had to expand the beef stand to its current building.
In 1999, Dave Howey, of Chicago Franchise Systems, Inc., owner and franchisor of Nancy's Pizza, bought the rights to Al's #1 Italian Beef Restaurants. Dave had been a loyal customer since 1971 and worked out the details to expand Al’s Beef through franchising. Al's and Nancy's now have almost 100 locations around the U.S.
The first Al's Beef franchise opened in Tinley Park, IL in the summer of 2001. The Al's Beef chain has grown significantly throughout Chicagoland and is currently casting its eye to other states.
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Al's Beef is totally dedicated to preserving what this country has come to recognize as a true food icon. When the History Channel produced their 2-hour "History of Food in America" documentary, Al's Beef was the only Chicago restaurant featured. When Gourmet magazine decided to do a story on the new Italian beef sensation, it was Al's Beef that was featured in a 4-page spread. And when Travel and Leisure magazine ran their "Top 10 Sandwiches in America"… you guessed it, it was Al's Beef that was picked. In March of 2008, Esquire Magazine named the Al’s Italian Beef sandwich as one of “the Best Sandwiches in America.” It's these and so many more awards and recognitions that have kept us focused on the tradition: keeping our eye on the beef. We have a lot to be proud of and a great legacy to grow and preserve.

Francorp Offices - Francorp Malaysia

Francorp, Inc., the world's foremost franchise development and consulting group, headquartered in Chicago, USA, announced the availability of its services through Francorp Malaysia, a Southeast Asian regional office, based in Kuala Lumpur, to provide services to large and small businesses in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. Since its founding 28 years ago, Francorp has counseled more than 8,000 companies, and helped more than 2,000 businesses join the ranks of franchisors in America, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Among its clients are Kentucky Fried Chicken, Omni Hotels, Holiday Inns, Ace Hardware, Damon's, USA Baby, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Culver's, Jollibee, Jimmy John's, Jersey Mike's Subs, Texaco, Shell and BP Amoco.
This announcement comes in concert with the Malaysian Government's initiative, to convert Malaysia into the franchise hub for the Southeast Asian region. Francorp Malaysia will provide a Full Franchise Development Program to all sorts of business concerns, enabling them to expand locally and into foreign markets (regional and worldwide) in a professional and profitable manner, without the burden of major investments in company owned branches.
Franchising has proven to be the most successful expansion method in the history of business. In the most advanced economies, franchised networks account for almost 50% of retail sales. In fact, most of today's large systems emerged from the obscurity of one or two modest retail outlets and have accomplished worldwide coverage and prestige through franchising.
Franchising, on the other hand, has become extremely competitive, especially since the international expansion exercised by the major companies has brought a completely new business culture to the rest of the world. No franchise should attempt to operate with any less than the highest standards to ensure success. Traditionally, small but successful business owners in emerging economies have encountered that as an insurmountable barrier to take a rightful place in franchising in their own countries and regions. Francorp's services ensure competitiveness in this difficult, but most rewarding, business arena, affording Malaysian businesses the strength and proficiency to franchise even in the United States, with the highest franchising industry standards.
Francorp also offers international brokerage services, bringing together franchise sellers and buyers. This service has proven effective in Francorp introducing 30+ American franchises into Japan and some Asian and Latin American franchises into the US. (Jollibee from the Philippines and Pollo Campero from Guatemala, among others). This service will facilitate both the import of franchises to the region, and the introduction of Asian franchises, particularly the Malaysian franchises, into the major world markets.
Affandy Faiz, Francorp Malaysia's President and CEO declared, "We are convinced that the government programs, supported by professional franchise development services, will place Malaysia in a most prominent place in the franchising map of the world in the years to come. Our reputation as the foremost franchise development and consulting group is committed to that effect and we will play a key role in bringing franchise opportunities to entrepreneurs throughout Asia. With talented individuals on our local and global team, we have not only strengthened our leadership position in Asia, but throughout the entire world."
"Francorp Malaysia is ready and willing to cooperate with the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative and other government agencies, chambers of commerce, business associations, financial institutions and other support institutions in assisting the Malaysian entrepreneurs to expand their business through franchising."
"For almost 30 years, Francorp has been the leader in the franchise consulting industry. In fact, we invented the niche. We have a unique approach that remains unmatched by any other firm in the world. We have assembled a team of experts whose talents are coordinated seamlessly to create customized materials that fit the specific needs of our clients. And as an international company, we have the global reach to help them expand their business, with a local presence to adjust their business to fit each country's unique culture and laws".
"We think global, and we act local". Affandy Faiz further added, "Francorp brings to Malaysia the highest franchising standards in the world. Many of those standards have been Francorp's own contribution to the industry. We created the Franchise Strategic Planning process that allows franchisors to define in advance every single subject and activity that will rule the performance of their network, before they sell the first franchise, so as to avoid hasty, costly decisions. Our method systematizes the managing of the system to ensure the quality of the franchisor's services, cost control and optimum operational performance, within the framework of a mutually rewarding relationship between the two parties".
Francorp provides every single service needed to franchise a business: Strategic Planning and Program Structure, Legal Documentation and Franchise Registration, Operations Services and Manuals, Advertising and Marketing Services, Franchise Sales Consulting, Training and Manual as well as Franchise Marketing and Sales Implementation in addition to General Consulting and Program Review.
Francorp regularly conducts a "Franchise Your Business" Seminar, which is highly recommended for entrepreneurs and business owners expiring to expand their business via franchising. This seminar is designed to provide the business owners a better understanding of the costs, time frame and working capital typically needed to grow through franchising. The upcoming seminars will be held on July 18-20, 2004, which will be led by Ramon Vinay, Vice President, Global Development, Francorp International and on September 3-5, 2004, which will be led by the Guru of Franchising, Donald D. Boroian, Founder and Chairman of Francorp Inc. We also conduct special seminars tailor fit to the clients' franchise needs.